Green Islands under Australian Mandate since given from Germans after WWI
home to several thousand natives of predominantly Melanesian descent
Marist missionaries have church, school, dispensary
Australians have 3 plantations - I Barahun, 2-Nissan for copra - coconut
derivative used in making soap, etc.

1942

March 30: Japanese occupy Solomon Islands
Green Island and 1500 natives under Japanese

Jan.10: 2 PT Boats reconnoiter the Island and entrances to lagoon
Jan. 30-31: NZ Battalion 30 raid and assessment: 4 killed in ambush
Feb. 1: Japanese on Green flee to Feni Islands
Feb. 2: 77 Japanese reinforcements arrive from Rabaul
Feb. 5: original group of Japanese returns and 102 move into cave on
Pokonian, then up to Mission

February 15, Landing Day: Battalions 30, 35, 37 of the 14th New Zealand
Brigade, Barrowclough and other staff
on USS Halford, some 40 NZ Units including the 3 Battalions, 3 US NCBs, , 967
US Anti-aircraft Battalion, Naval
base and air units, PT Boats establish base and are patrolling 2 days later to
beaches, few skirmishes Capture by 4242
New Zealanders and 1564 US (over 30 ships) Arrival of NZ and 1st echelon
93rd, Navy Beachmasters

By July 1944, all authorized
construction on Green Island was complete, and CBMU's 552 and 553 reported
to take charge of general maintenance and miscellaneous construction. Late
in 1944, the maintenance units began dismantling structures for removal. By
January 1945, the majority of the naval facilities had been rolled-up and
were awaiting shipment to forward areas.